Garden Paving: Enhance Your Home And Landscape

By Craig Johnson

Perhaps you have the most attractive and well-designed landscape on your block. You may even spend hours fertilizing, watering, and planting beautiful flowers and shrubs. One element that can help you enjoy your well kept lawn is a garden path. This is a great addition to any lawn and something that will especially enhance a large yard area. If you love to have visitors over and show off your landscaping and gardens, a garden path will keep you from trampling over grass or getting your shoes dirty or wet. Garden paving is a project that you can tailor to your interests and desires and make it as big or as small, intricate in detail or simple as you wish.

The first step for you to take is to choose a material. Popular more permanent choices for creating a garden path include stone, concrete stepping stones, slate, brick, or flagstone. These are all beautiful and long lasting options, but they can come with a hefty price tag.

One of the primary things to consider when choosing a material is whether or not you want a permanent material for your garden path. Flagstone is the hardest material to move, as it comes in extremely heavy slabs that are difficult to relocate. Most other materials can be moved with varying degrees of difficulty.

Stepping stones are a popular option for those who desire a long-lasting material with moving potential. These stones can be placed flush against one another or spaced apart for more of a stepping stone look. You can also use sand or another material to keep grasses and weeds from growing around the stones or encourage little vines and plants around the stones for more of a cottage stepping stone garden path look.

Temporary materials for garden paths include: wood chips, gravel, shredded bark, and wood blocks. These materials are also quite noticeably less expensive than more permanent options, but the upkeep requires some care on your part.

Materials such as bark or woods chips will need to be replaced yearly and kept up with to ensure that it looks good. They will decompose after some time. If you choose one of these options, you will also need to purchase and install an edging to keep them in place. Otherwise you may end up with a garden path that has flooded all over your well kept lawn!

Consider a color option for your materials that will compliment your home and lawn style. The materials can also be laid in intricate patterns and designs. Do some research before you begin this project and get some ideas to help you decide what you really want. Make use of gardening books from your local library. Use the Internet for ideas. Get some inspiration by driving through local neighborhoods and seeing what others have implemented.

Garden paving will enhance your lawn and bring your garden to life when properly done. Get the advice of a local contractor if you have questions; they should be happy to assist. They may also be able to recommend other special design ideas if you want to invest a little more in it than merely a garden path. - 33393

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